This guide provides an overview of the Disaster Recovery System, describes how to use the Disaster Recovery System, and provides procedures for completing various backup-related tasks and restore-related tasks. This guide serves as a reference and procedural guide that is intended for users of Cisco Unified Communications Manager and other Cisco IP telephony applications.

What is the Disaster Recovery System?

The Disaster Recovery System (DRS), which can be invoked from Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration, provides full data backup and restore capabilities for all servers in a Cisco Unified Communications Manager cluster. The Disaster Recovery System allows you to perform regularly scheduled automatic or user-invoked data backups.

The Disaster Recovery System performs a cluster-level backup, which means that it collects backups for all servers in a Cisco Unified Communications Manager cluster to a central location and archives the backup data to physical storage device.

DRS restores its own settings (backup device settings and schedule settings) as part of the platform backup/restore. DRS backs up and restores drfDevice.xml and drfSchedule.xml files. When the server is restored with these files, you do not need to re-configure DRS backup device and schedule.

Caution Before you restore Cisco Unified Communications Manager, ensure that the Cisco Unified Communications Manager version that is installed on the server matches the version of the backup file that you want to restore. The Disaster Recovery System supports only matching versions of Cisco Unified Communications Manager for restore. For example, the Disaster Recovery System does not allow a restore from version 6.1.(
1).1000-1 to version 6.1(
2).1000-1, or from version 6.1.(2).1000-
1 to version 6.1(2).1000-
2.

When performing a system data restoration, you can choose which nodes in the cluster you want to restore.

The Disaster Recovery System includes the following capabilities:

•A user interface for performing backup and restore tasks.

•A distributed system architecture for performing backup and restore functions.

The system automatically activates both the Master Agent and the Local Agent on all nodes in the cluster.

Note The Disaster Recovery System does not migrate data from Windows to Linux or from Linux to Linux. A restore must run on the same product version as the backup. For information on data migration from a Windows-based platform to a Linux-based platform, refer to the Data Migration Assistant User Guide.

Quick-Reference Tables for Backup and Restore Procedures

The following tables provide a quick reference for the backup and restore procedures.

Note DRS backs up and restores the drfDevice.xml and drfSchedule.xml files. These backup device settings and schedule settings are restored as a part of the platform backup/restore. Once the server is restored with these files, you do not need to re-configure DRS backup device and schedule.

Backup Quick Reference

Table 1 provides a quick, high-level reference to the major steps, in chronological order, that you must perform to do a backup procedure by using the Disaster Recovery System.

Note The Disaster Recovery System does not migrate data from Windows to Linux or from Linux to Linux. A restore must run on the same product version as the backup. For information on data migration from a Windows-based platform to a Linux-based platform, refer to the Data Migration Assistant User Guide before following the steps in Table 1.

Note While a backup or restore is running you cannot perform any OS Administration tasks because Disaster Recovery System blocks all OS Administration requests by locking the platform API. However, this does not block most CLI commands as only the CLI based upgrade commands use the Platform API locking package.

How to Access the Disaster Recovery System

To access the Disaster Recovery System, choose Disaster Recover System from the Navigation drop-down list box in the upper, right corner of Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration window. Log in to the Disaster Recovery System by using the same Administrator username and password that you use for Cisco Unified Communications Operating System Administration.

Note You set the Administrator username and password during Cisco Unified Communications Manager installation, and you can change the Administrator password or set up a new Administrator account by using the Command Line Interface (CLI). Refer to the Command Line Interface Reference Guide for Cisco Unified Solutions for more information.

Master Agent Duties and Activation

The system automatically activates the Master Agent (MA) on the server.

In a cluster, the MA ia automatically activated on all nodes in the cluster, but only the MA running on the publisher server is fully active.

Duties That the Master Agent Performs

The Master Agent (MA) performs the following duties:

•The MA stores systemwide component registration information.

•The MA maintains a complete set of scheduled tasks in the database. When it receives updates from the user interface, the MA sends executable tasks to the applicable Local Agents, as scheduled. (Local Agents execute immediate-backup tasks without delay.)

•You access the MA through the Disaster Recovery System user interface to perform activities such as configuring backup devices, scheduling backups by adding new backup schedules, viewing or updating an existing schedule, displaying status of executed schedules, and performing system restoration.

Local Agents

The server also has a Local Agent to perform backup and restore functions.

Each server in a Cisco Unified Communications Manager cluster, including the server that contains the Master Agent, must have its own Local Agent to perform backup and restore functions for its server.

Note By default, a Local Agent automatically gets activated on each node of the cluster.

Duties That Local Agents Perform

The Local Agent runs backup and restore scripts on the server.

In a cluster, the Local Agent runs backup and restore scripts on each node in the cluster.

Managing Backup Devices

Before using the Disaster Recovery System, you must configure the locations where you want the backup files to be stored. You can configure up to 10 backup devices. Perform the following steps to configure backup devices.

Procedure

Step 1 Navigate to the Disaster Recovery System. Log in to Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration, choose Disaster Recovery System from the Navigation drop-down list box in the upper, right corner of the Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration window, and click Go.

The Disaster Recovery System Logon window displays.

Step 2 Log in to the Disaster Recovery System by using the same Administrator username and password that you use for Cisco Unified Communications Operating System Administration.

Step 5 To edit a backup device, select it in the Backup Device list, then click Edit Selected.

The Backup Device window displays.

Step 6 Enter the backup device name in the Backup device name field.

Note The backup device name may contain only alpha numeric characters, spaces ( ), dashes (-) and underscores (_). No other characters are allowed.

Step 7 Choose one of the following backup devices and enter the appropriate field values in the Select Destination area:

•Tape Device—Stores the backup file on a locally attached tape drive. Choose the appropriate tape device from the list.

Note You cannot span tapes or store more than one backup per tape.

•Network Directory—Stores the backup file on a networked drive that is accessed through an SFTP connection. Enter the following required information:

–Server name: Name or IP address of the network server

–Path name: Path name for the directory where you want to store the backup file

–User name: Valid username for an account on the remote system

–Password: Valid password for the account on the remote system

–Number of backups to store on Network Directory: The number of backups to store on this network directory.

Note You must have access to an SFTP server to configure a network storage location. The SFTP path must exist prior to the backup. The account that is used to access the SFTP server must have write permission for the selected path.

Step 8 To update these settings, click Save.

Note After you click the Save button, the DRS Master Agent validates the selected backup device. If the user name, password, server name, or directory path is invalid, the save will fail.

Step 9 To delete a backup device, select it in the Backup Device list, then click Delete Selected.

Note You cannot delete a backup device that is configured as the backup device in a backup schedule.

Creating and Editing Backup Schedules

You can create up to 10 backup schedules. Each backup schedule has its own set of properties, including a schedule for automatic backups, the set of features to back up, and a storage location.

Step 1 Navigate to the Disaster Recovery System. Log in to Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration, choose Disaster Recovery System from the Navigation menu in the upper, right corner of the Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration window, and click Go.

The Disaster Recovery System Logon window displays.

Step 2 Log in to the Disaster Recovery System by using the same Administrator username and password that you use for Cisco Unified Communications Operating System Administration.

Step 3 Navigate to Backup>Scheduler.

The Schedule List window displays.

Step 4 Do one of the following steps to add a new schedule or edit an existing schedule

a. To create a new schedule, click Add New.

b. To configure an existing schedule, click its name in the Schedule List column.

The scheduler window displays.

Step 5 Enter a schedule name in the Schedule Name field.

Note You cannot change the name of the default schedule.

Step 6 Select the backup device in the Select Backup Device area.

Step 7 Select the features to back up in the Select Features area. You must choose at least one feature.

Step 8 Choose the date and time when you want the backup to begin in the Start Backup at area.

Step 9 Choose the frequency at which you want the backup to occur in the Frequency area: Once, Daily, Weekly, or Monthly. If you choose Weekly, you can also choose the days of the week when the backup will occur.

Tip To set the backup frequency to Weekly, occurring Tuesday through Saturday, click Set Default.

Step 10 To update these settings, click Save.

Step 11 To enable the schedule, click Enable Schedule.

The next backup occurs automatically at the time that you set.

Note Ensure that all servers in the cluster are running the same version of Cisco Unified Communications Manager and are reachable through the network. Servers that are not running at the time of the scheduled backup will not be backed up.

Step 12 To disable the schedule, click Disable Schedule.

Enabling, Disabling, and Deleting Schedules

Procedure

Step 1 Navigate to the Disaster Recovery System. Log in to Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration, choose Disaster Recovery System from the Navigation menu in the upper, right corner of the Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration window, and click Go.

The Disaster Recovery System Logon window displays.

Step 2 Log in to the Disaster Recovery System by using the same Administrator username and password that you use for Cisco Unified Communications Operating System Administration.

Step 3 Navigate to Backup>Scheduler.

The Schedule List window displays.

Step 4 Check the check boxes next to the schedules that you want to modify.

Starting a Manual Backup

Follow this procedure to start a manual backup.

Procedure

Step 1 Navigate to the Disaster Recovery System. Log in to Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration, choose Disaster Recovery System from the Navigation menu in the upper, right corner of the Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration window, and click Go.

The Disaster Recovery System Logon window displays.

Step 2 Log in to the Disaster Recovery System by using the same Administrator username and password that you use for Cisco Unified Communications Operating System Administration.

Checking Backup Status

Checking the Status of the Current Backup Job

Perform the following steps to check the status of the current backup job.

Procedure

Step 1 Navigate to the Disaster Recovery System. Log in to Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration, choose Disaster Recovery System from the Navigation menu in the upper, right corner of the Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration window, and click Go.

The Disaster Recovery System Logon window displays.

Step 2 Log in to the Disaster Recovery System by using the same Administrator username and password that you use for Cisco Unified Communications Operating System Administration.

Note The backup cancels after the current component has completed its backup operation.

Restoring a Backup File

Disaster Recovery System adheres to strict version checking and allows restore only between matching versions of Cisco Unified Communications Manager.

Caution Before you restore Cisco Unified Communications Manager, ensure that the Cisco Unified Communications Manager version that is installed on the server matches the version of the backup file that you want to restore. The Disaster Recovery System supports only matching versions of Cisco Unified Communications Manager for restore. For example, the Disaster Recovery System does not allow a restore from version 6.1.(
1).1000-1 to version 6.1(
2).1000-1, or from version 6.1.(2).1000-
1 to version 6.1(2).1000-
2.

In essence, the product version needs to match, end-to-end, for the Disaster Recovery System to run a successful Cisco Unified Communications Manager database restore.

The Restore Wizard walks you through the steps that are required to restore a backup file. To perform a restore, use the procedure that follows.

Step 1 Navigate to the Disaster Recovery System. Log in to Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration, choose Disaster Recovery System from the Navigation menu in the upper, right corner of the Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration window, and click Go.

The Disaster Recovery System Logon window displays.

Step 2 Log in to the Disaster Recovery System by using the same Administrator username and password that you use for Cisco Unified Communications Operating System Administration.

Note Even if you are restoring only to the first node, you must restart all nodes in the cluster. Make sure that you restart the subsequent nodes before you restart the first node.

Note Depending on the size of your database and the components that you choose to restore, the system can require one hour or more to restore.

Restoring a Cluster

If a major failure or a hardware upgrade occurs, or if you want to restore your configuration and database to a last known working state, you may need to restore all nodes in the cluster. Follow these steps to restore an entire cluster:

Note Before you restore a cluster, make sure that all nodes in the cluster are up and communicating with the first node. You must carry out a fresh install for the nodes that are down or not communicating with first node at the time of the restore.

Note Restoring the first node restores the whole cluster database. This may take up to several hours based on number of nodes and size of database being restored.

Note If a subsequent node is down or not connected to the cluster during the cluster restore, the database component restore will skip that node and proceed with the next one. You must carry out a fresh install of Cisco Unified Communications Manager on these subsequent nodes.

The following sections provide the procedures for restoring cluster nodes:

Note You can restore the whole cluster as a single operation. The first node and the subsequent nodes do not necessarily need to be restored in two separate operations.

Restoring the First Node

Follow this procedure to restore the first node or publisher server in the cluster.

Procedure

Note Cisco recommends that you perform a fresh installation of Cisco Unified Communications Manager on the first node. For more information on installing Cisco Unified Communications Manager, see Installing Cisco Unified Communications Manager.

Caution Before you restore Cisco Unified Communications Manager, ensure that the Cisco Unified Communications Manager version that is installed on the server matches the version of the backup file that you want to restore. The Disaster Recovery System supports only matching versions of Cisco Unified Communications Manager for restore. For example, the Disaster Recovery System does not allow a restore from version 6.1.(1).1000-1 to version 6.1(2).1000-1, or from version 6.1.(2).1000-1 to version 6.1(2).1000-2.

Step 1 Navigate to the Disaster Recovery System. Log in to Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration, choose Disaster Recovery System from the Navigation drop-down list box in the upper, right corner of the Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration window, and click Go.

The Disaster Recovery System Logon window displays.

Step 2 Log in to the Disaster Recovery System by using the same Administrator username and password that you use for Cisco Unified Communications Operating System Administration.

Note During the restore process, do not perform any tasks with Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration or User Pages.

Note Restoring the first node restores the whole Cisco Unified Communications Manager database to the cluster. This may take up to several hours based on number of nodes and size of database being restored.

Note Depending on the size of your database and the components that you choose to restore, the system can require one hour or more to restore.

Restoring Subsequent Cluster Nodes

Follow this procedure to restore subsequent nodes in the cluster.

Procedure

Caution Before you restore Cisco Unified Communications Manager, ensure that the Cisco Unified Communications Manager version that is installed on the server matches the version of the backup file that you want to restore. The Disaster Recovery System supports only matching versions of Cisco Unified Communications Manager for restore. For example, the Disaster Recovery System does not allow a restore from version 6.1.(1).1000-1 to version 6.1(2).1000-1, or from version 6.1.(2).1000-1 to version 6.1(2).1000-2.

Step 1 Navigate to the Disaster Recovery System. Log in to Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration, choose Disaster Recovery System from the Navigation drop-down list box in the upper, right corner of the Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration window, and click Go.

The Disaster Recovery System Logon window displays.

Step 2 Log in to the Disaster Recovery System by using the same Administrator username and password that you use for Cisco Unified Communications Operating System Administration.

Step 13 Restart the server. For more information on restarting, see the Cisco Unified Communications Operating System Administration Guide.

Note Depending on the size of your database and the components that you choose to restore, the system can require one hour or more to restore.

Step 14 When the restoration completes and the Percentage Complete field on the Restore Status window in the Disaster Recovery System shows 100 percent, begin rebooting the subsequent nodes in the cluster.

Step 15 When all the subsequent nodes have rebooted and are running the restored version of Cisco Unified Communications Manager, reboot the first node.

Note Database replication on the subsequent nodes may take an hour or more to complete after the publisher reboots, depending on the size of the cluster.

Step 16 Check the Replication Status value on all nodes by using the utils dbreplication status CLI command as described in the Command Line Interface Reference Guide for Cisco Unified Solutions. The value on each node should equal two.

Tip If replication does not set up properly, use the utils dbreplication reset CLI command as described in the Command Line Interface Reference Guide for Cisco Unified Solutions.

Viewing the Restore Status

To check the status of the current restore job, perform the following steps:

Procedure

Step 1 Navigate to the Disaster Recovery System. Log in to Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration, choose Disaster Recovery System from the Navigation drop-down list box in the upper, right corner of the Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration window, and click Go.

The Disaster Recovery System Logon window displays.

Step 2 Log in to the Disaster Recovery System by using the same Administrator username and password that you use for Cisco Unified Communications Operating System Administration.

Viewing the Backup and Restore History

Backup History

Step 1 Navigate to the Disaster Recovery System. Log in to Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration, choose Disaster Recovery System from the Navigation drop-down list box in the upper, right corner of the Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration window, and click Go.

The Disaster Recovery System Logon window displays.

Step 2 Log in to the Disaster Recovery System by using the same Administrator username and password that you use for Cisco Unified Communications Operating System Administration.

Step 3 Navigate to Backup>History. The Backup History window displays.

Step 4 From the Backup History window, you can view the backups that you have performed, including filename, backup device, completion date, result, and features that are backed up.

Note The Backup History window displays only the last 20 backup jobs.

Restore History

Perform the following steps to view the restore history.

Procedure

Step 1 Navigate to the Disaster Recovery System. Log in to Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration, choose Disaster Recovery System from the Navigation drop-down list box in the upper, right corner of the Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration window, and click Go.

The Disaster Recovery System Logon window displays.

Step 2 Log in to the Disaster Recovery System by using the same Administrator username and password that you use for Cisco Unified Communications Operating System Administration.

Step 3 Navigate to Restore>History. The Restore History window displays.

Step 4 From the Restore History window, you can view the restores that you have performed, including filename, backup device, completion date, result, and the features that were restored.

Note The Restore History window displays only the last 20 restore jobs.

Trace Files

In this release of the Disaster Recovery System, trace files for the Master Agent, the GUI, and each Local Agent get written to the following locations:

•For the Master Agent, find the trace file at platform/drf/trace/drfMA0*

•For each Local Agent, find the trace file atplatform/drf/trace/drfLA0*

•For the GUI, find the trace file at platform/drf/trace/drfConfLib0*

You can view trace files by using the command line interface. See the Command Line Interface Reference Guide for Cisco Unified Solutions for more information.

Command Line Interface

The Disaster Recovery System also provides command-line access to a subset of backup and restore functions, as shown in Table 4. For more information on these commands and on using the command line interface, see the Command Line Interface Reference Guide for Cisco Unified Solutions.

Table 4 Disaster Recovery System Command Line Interface

Command

Description

utils disaster_recovery backup

Starts a manual backup by using the features that are configured in the Disaster Recovery System interface

utils disaster_recovery restore

Starts a restore and requires parameters for backup location, filename, features, and nodes to restore

utils disaster_recovery status

Displays the status of ongoing backup or restore job

utils disaster_recovery show_backupfiles

Displays existing backup files

utils disaster_recovery cancel_backup

Cancels an ongoing backup job

utils disaster_recovery show_registration

Displays the currently configured registration

utils disaster_recovery show_tapeid

Displays the tape identification information

Error Messages

The Disaster Recovery System (DRS) issues alarms for various errors that could occur during a backup or restore procedure. Table 5 provides a list of Cisco DRS alarms.

Table 5 Disaster Recovery System Alarms

Alarm Name

Description

Explanation

CiscoDRFBackupDeviceError

DRF backup process has problems accessing device

DRS backup process encountered errors while accessing device.

CiscoDRFBackupFailure

Cisco DRF Backup process failed

DRS backup process encountered errors.

CiscoDRFBackupInProgress

Unable to start new backup while another backup is still running

DRS cannot start new backup while another backup is still running.

CiscoDRFInternalProcessFailure

DRF internal process has encountered an error.

DRS internal process encountered an error.

CiscoDRFLA2MAFailure

DRF Local Agent is not able to connect to Master Agent

DRS Local Agent cannot connect to Master Agent.

CiscoDRFLocalAgentStartFailure

DRF Local Agent was not able to start

DRS Local Agent might be down.

CiscoDRFMA2LAFailure

DRF Master Agent is not able to connect to Local Agent

DRS Master Agent cannot connect to Local Agent.

CiscoDRFMABackupComponentFailure

DRF was unable to backup at least one component.

DRS requested a component to back up its data; however, an error occurred during the backup process, and the component did not get backed up.

CiscoDRFMABackupNodeDisconnect

The node being backed up disconnected from the Master Agent prior to being fully backed up.

While the DRS Master Agent was running a backup operation on a Cisco Unified Communications Manager node, the node disconnected before the backup operation completed.

CiscoDRFMARestoreComponentFailure

DRF was unable to restore at least one component.

DRS requested a component to restore its data; however, an error occurred during the restore process, and the component did not get restored.

CiscoDRFMARestoreNodeDisconnect

The node being restored disconnected from the Master Agent prior to being fully restored.

While the DRS Master Agent was running a restore operation on a Cisco Unified Communications Manager node, the node disconnected before the restore operation completed.

CiscoDRFMasterAgentStartFailure

DRF Master Agent was not able to start

DRS Master Agent might be down.

CiscoDRFNoRegisteredComponent

No registered components available, backup failed

DRS backup failed because no registered components are available.

CiscoDRFNoRegisteredFeature

No feature selected for backup

No feature got selected for backup.

CiscoDRFRestoreDeviceError

DRF restore process has problems accessing device

DRS restore process cannot read from device.

CiscoDRFRestoreFailure

DRF restore process failed

DRS restore process encountered errors.

CiscoDRFSftpFailure

DRF sftp operation has errors

Errors exist in DRS SFTP operation.

Related Documentation

Refer to the Cisco Unified Communications Manager Documentation Guide to learn about the documentation for Cisco Unified Communications Manager.

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